Bready or Not: Cappuccino-Caramel Oat Bars
Cappuccino-Caramel Oat Bars are essentially a casserole-sized platter of delicious homemade candy bars. That is reason enough to make them.
These are simultaneously chewy (from the oats), crunchy (because pecans), and sweet (caramel).
Oh yeah, then there’s the coffee flavor that is imbued throughout every bite. I don’t like drinking coffee, but espresso powder is sheer magic in baked goods.
Needless to say, these bars are perfect paired with a cup or coffee or tea.
Plus, if the number of bars seems excessive, the leftovers can be frozen. Just freeze and store them between waxed papers layers so you can easily thaw as many as you’d like at a time.
Modified from 100 Best Cookies Magazine.
Bready or Not: Cappuccino-Caramel Oat Bars
Ingredients
- 3 cups old fashioned oats
- 2 1/3 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 1/2 cup chopped pecans divided
- 1 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 2 cups brown sugar packed
- 2 eggs
- 1 Tablespoon instant coffee crystals or espresso powder
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup caramel from jar
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13x9 pan with foil and apply butter or nonstick spray.
- In a medium bowl, stir together oats, flour, 1 cup of pecans, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.
- In a big mixing bowl, beat the butter until creamy, then add brown sugar. Follow up with the eggs, coffee/espresso powder, and vanilla. Carefully stir in the dry ingredients; it looks like a lot, but it will fit in the pan! Reserve 2 cups of the dough for the topping.
- Spread the bulk of the oat mixture in the pan. Using floured hands or waxed paper and a heavy glass, press down the mix to form a solid even crust. Spread the caramel topping over it, bringing it to within 1/4-inch of the edges. Dollop the reserved oat mixture over the top, along with the remaining 1/2 cup pecans.
- Bake for 20 to 25 minutes, until the edges are set. Cool completely in pan before using the foil to lift it onto a cutting board to slice into bars. Store in sealed containers with parchment or waxed paper between the layers. Bars can also be frozen.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Cranberry Candied Ginger Blondies
Cranberry Candied Ginger Blondies pack tart cranberries, zesty little nuggets of candied ginger, and mellow white chocolate in a chewy blondie base, to delicious results.
This begins a small spate of dried cranberry recipes that will be on Bready or Not over the next while.
This is because I bought a massive bag of dried cranberries on sale at Costco, and I had an existing stockpile to use up, too. Cue a “oh crap, I need to use up some of this stuff!” response.
This recipe proved to be a fantastic one, too. The blondies are sweet and chewy, and that combination of dried cranberries, candied ginger, and white chocolate complements and contrasts in an amazing way.
I’ve been asked before about where to find candied ginger. Sometimes brands will sell it jarred alongside spices on the grocery store aisle. Also, check the bins at your local health food store or co-op. I’ve bought candied ginger at my local Sprouts.
The good news is that candied ginger (like dried cranberries) keeps well for ages, so you can stock up and enjoy it for months. Though space might be an issue if you’re buying at Costco…
Bready or Not Original: Cranberry Candied Ginger Blondies
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/2 cup brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1 cup dried cranberries
- 1/3 cup candied ginger chopped
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13x9 inch dish with aluminum foil and apply nonstick spray.
- Place butter and both sugars in a large bowl and beat until creamed together. Mix in eggs and vanilla. Follow up with the flour, baking powder, and salt, until just combined. Fold in the cranberries, candied ginger, and white chocolate chips.
- Spread batter in the ready pan and even out. Bake for 27 to 30 minutes, until edges are firm and the middle passes the toothpick test. Cool on a wire rack.
- Use foil to list contents onto cutting board. Slice into pieces. Store in an sealed container at room temperature.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars
These are not mere blondies. No, these Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars are practically cake.
Seriously, this could work as a birthday cake for a chocolate-peanut butter lover. These bars are THICK and loaded with goodness.
This recipe makes a full 13 by 9 pan, so there’s plenty to share. As dense as each bar is, you probably don’t want to cut them large.
Bars like this freeze very well, too, so you can stash some away to enjoy later.
I can’t help but wonder how this recipe would be with Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups chopped into it, too. I should try that sometime.
Recipes are stories. There will always be other ways to twist them into something new and enjoyable.
Bready or Not: Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Bars
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup unsalted butter room temperature
- 1 cup brown sugar packed
- 1/4 cup white granulated sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 cup vanilla Greek yogurt
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1 3/4 cups peanut butter chips 1 bag
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
- 1/2 cup chopped peanuts
Instructions
- Preheat the oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13X9 baking with aluminum foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
- In a big bowl, cream together the butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add the eggs, one at a time, scraping the bowl as necessary.
- Add the vanilla extract and vanilla yogurt next, followed by the flour, cinnamon, and baking powder. Fold in the peanut butter chips and 1 cup of the chocolate chips.
- Scoop the batter into the prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips and the peanuts over the top and gently press them in.
- Bake pan for 30 minutes or until the center passes the toothpick test. Let cool completely. Use foil to lift contents onto a cutting board to slice into bars.
- Store in a sealed container at room temperature or in the fridge. Freeze bars between waxed paper in a sealed container to make them last even longer.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Chickpea Almond Butter Blondies
No one will be able to tell that chickpeas form the base of these healthified blondies, but the truth is right there in the name.
A food processor is necessary for this recipe as the chickpeas (aka garbanzo beans) must be utterly pulverized. Weirdly enough, a lot of health cookbooks and blogs have discovered chickpeas end up eerily like bland cookie dough once they are mashed up.
I know, it sounds crazy, but I’ve tried out a few recipes like this and it’s the truth. And these blondies WORK. They taste good. The sweetness is just right, not hardcore, but it doesn’t taste at all like ‘health food.’
I found the base recipe in an issue of Cooking Light and significantly modified it into something new. The original had tahini (which I do not like, so I subbed almond butter) and dark brown sugar (which I usually don’t have).
The pecans add a wonderful texture to these blondies. If you don’t like pecans, I would suggest still using some kind of nut or seed for a mild crunch.
Bready or Not Original: Chickpea Almond Butter Blondies
Ingredients
- 3 Tablespoons unsalted butter
- 3/4 cup light brown sugar packed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 15 oz unsalted chickpeas aka garbanzo beans, rinsed and drained
- 3 Tablespoons almond butter
- 2 Tablespoons milk or half & half
- 1/3 cup white whole wheat flour
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt
- 1/3 cup chopped pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line an 8x8 or 9x9 pan with aluminum foil and apply nonstick spray or butter.
- Using a small saucepan, brown the butter, stirring often. Transfer to a bowl to cool for 15 minutes. Whisk in brown sugar, eggs, and vanilla.
- Place chickpeas, almond butter, and milk in a food processor, and mix until smooth, scraping down the sides often. Stir the chickpea mixture into the butter mixture.
- Combine the flour, baking powder, and salt in another bowl and whisk together. Stir dry mix into the chickpeas. Fold in the pecans.
- Pour batter into ready pan. Bake for 25 to 27 minutes, until it passes the toothpick test in the middle.
- Cool in pan for hour or two. Use foil to lift blondies onto cutting board to slice into pieces. Store in a sealed container, with waxed paper between layers, at room temperature or in the fridge for up to 3 days. Bars also can be frozen for later enjoyment.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not: Chocolate Crumble Bars
I always like to do a chocolate recipe near Valentine’s Day, and this year I present to you a recipe for easy, delicious Chocolate Crumble Bars.
I tend to regard crumble bar recipes with suspicion, because many times they do indeed crumble when cut. I was very happy these bars were cohesive.
They are also incredibly good. The shortbread-like base is the perfect complement to semisweet chocolate chips.
Plus, there’s just something satisfying about a good, basic crumble topping. But then, I always preferred crumble topping on apple pies rather than a closed crust as well.
I suppose I’m just a crumbly person.
If you’re also a crumbly person, give these a try! They are easy to make and oh so good.
Bready or Not: Chocolate Crumble Bars
Ingredients
- 1 cup unsalted butter softened
- 1 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1/4 teaspoon kosher salt
- 2 cups semisweet chocolate chips
- 14 oz sweetened condensed milk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13x9 pan with aluminum foil and apply nonstick spray.
- In a big mixing bowl, beat butter until creamy, followed by the flour, sugar, and salt. Mix until it turns crumbly, scraping the bowl as needed. Place 2 cups of the crumbs in the pan. Use floured fingers or a piece of waxed paper and a heavy glass to compress the crumbs evenly.
- Bake pan 11 to 15 minutes, until edges of base layer are turning golden brown.
- Place 1 cup of the chocolate chips and the sweetened condensed milk in a large microwave safe bowl [or, alternately, do this on the stovetop]. Zap about 30 seconds, stir well, then try another 15 seconds--watch very carefully! It can turn molten, fast. Once it can be stirred smooth, add vanilla extract. Spread over the hot crust.
- Stir remaining cup of chocolate chips into the reserved crumb mixture. Sprinkle this over the top of the chocolate layer.
- Bake for another 25 to 30 minutes, until center is set. Cool completely in pan.
- Use the foil to lift contents onto cutting board. Slice. Store bars in a covered container, waxed paper or parchment between the layers, at room temperature.
- OM NOM NOM!
Bready or Not Original: Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
These soft, chewy blondies are savory, sweet, and amazing–and my original creation.
The year 2018 was awful in a lot of ways, but it offered one bonus: frequent sales on bacon at my regular grocery stores around Phoenix. I developed quite a strategic stockpile.
I then realized, hey, I should try baking bacon into more sweets. After all, my bacon fat chocolate chip cookies are among my most popular recipes.
I didn’t have a lot of free time, though. I wanted something to bake up fast, without a lot of fuss. Therefore, cookies were out. I wanted bars.
To my surprise, I couldn’t find an existing recipe that appealed to me. I decided that if I wanted soft, chewy bacon and chocolate chip bars, I needed to develop my own recipe.
That’s exactly what I did.
This is a recipe that utilizes sweet and savory together, and it’s a must-bake for any bacon lovers.
Bready or Not Original: Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 14 Tablespoons unsalted butter softened
- 2 Tablespoons bacon fat
- 1 cup light brown sugar packed
- 3/4 cup white sugar
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 eggs room temperature
- 3 cups all-purpose flour
- 3/4 teaspoon salt
- 3/4 teaspoon baking soda
- 1 1/4 cup milk chocolate chips divided
- 4 slices thick-cut cooked bacon chopped
Instructions
- Preheat oven at 350-degrees. Line a 13x9 pan with foil and grease with butter or nonstick spray.
- Cream together the butter and bacon fat. Mix in the sugars until pale and fluffy, then add the vanilla and eggs.
- In a separate bowl, sift together the flour, salt, and baking soda. Gradually mix the dry ingredients into the wet, until just combined. Fold in 1 cup of the chocolate chips along with the chopped bacon.
- Press dough into prepared pan. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips over the top.
- Bake for 22 to 25 minutes, until the middle passes the toothpick test. Cool until room temperature. Use foil to lift contents onto cutting board for easy slicing. Keep stored in sealed containers at room temperature or in the fridge.
- OM NOM NOM!
